The least contaminated proteins were chicken breasts, followed by pork loin chops and tofu.
Nanoplastics (plastic particles which measure less than 100 nm) have been found also in fruits and vegetables, like apples, broccoli, and carrots. An Italian study (5) from 2020 showed that apples were the most contaminated while lettuce was the least.
Organic produce is less likely to be exposed to plastic mulches and synthetic chemicals, reducing the potential for microplastic contamination. Opting for fresh foods over processed ones also minimizes exposure to plastics used in packaging and processing.
Microplastics also enter your body through the plastic packaging found on almost everything in the grocery store. Almost everything you eat or drink will contain microplastics, but some foods are more contaminated than others. Here's a list of the foods with high microplastic contamination: Fish and Shellfish.
The Brita Hub™ is certified to reduce 70+ contaminants including chlorine, lead, and microplastics.
However, even in soft water samples (less than 60 milligrams CaCO3 per liter), boiling still removed around 25% of NMPs. The researchers say that this work could provide a simple, yet effective, method to reduce NMP consumption.
For humans, the microplastics in fish can still be avoided by cleaning the fish's digestive tract before consuming them. This is considered the easiest way to prevent microplastics from being ingested. There is still the problem of smaller fish, such as anchovies, which are consumed whole.
Research finds microplastics in our stool and urine. And Joana Prata says her review of animal data suggests that, in principle, most of what we ingest or inhale will leave the body during a trip to the bathroom.
Each egg averaged multiple microplastic particles, most of which were polyethylene, which is a type of resin used widely in everything from food wrap to fuel tanks. The study showed contamination to be higher in the yolk than the white, with no significant change after cooking.
The researchers found that, on average, a liter of bottled water included about 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic. About 90% of these plastic fragments were nanoplastics. This total was 10 to 100 times more plastic particles than seen in earlier studies, which mostly focused on larger microplastics.
The shape of microplastics in the environment is mainly in the form of fibers, films, and fragments, and it is difficult to wash the microplastics adhering to the surface of fruits and vegetables with a simple cleaning.
[59] analyzed the presence of microplastics in fruits (grapes and banana) and vegetables (brinjal and potato) samples taken from different markets in Trichy, Tamil Nadu (India) and reported the occurrence of microplastics of 2 and 10 µm size in fruits and 2 and 10 µm size in vegetables, respectively.
Are we consuming microplastics? Yes. Microplastics are present in both tap water and bottled water. A study showed that an average of 325 plastic particles were found in a liter of bottled water as compared to 5.5 plastic particles per liter of tap water, according to Sherri Mason, a Penn State researcher.
Coffee bags and plastic tea bags, when immersed in hot water, also release a significant number of MPs.
The first thing we should do is avoid single-use plastics, especially food and beverage packaging and to-go containers that shed microplastics into what we eat and drink. It has been shown that bottled water has higher levels of microplastics than tap water. Avoid highly-processed foods.
Farmed freshwater fish such as catfish, barramundi, and trout and bivalves such as oysters and clams are among the best choices available.
Use a water filter
There are many different types of water filters on the market, including activated carbon filters, reverse osmosis filters, and ceramic filters. These filters can help to remove not only microplastics but also other contaminants, such as chlorine, lead, and bacteria.
Scientists found that tiny flecks of calcium carbonate will ensnare plastic particles. These bits of calcium carbonate are large enough that they can then be removed by pouring the water through a coffee filter. This approach is more effective in hard water than soft.
Health impact
In the U.S., community water sources have added fluoride to levels designed to prevent tooth decay. Regularly rinsing with and drinking tap water helps keep your mouth clean of bacteria.
In vitro experiments with human cells and in vivo data generated with mice showed that microplastics elicit adverse health effects mainly by causing inflammation, oxidative stress [increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production], lipid metabolism disturbances, gut microbiota dysbiosis, and neurotoxicity.
The lawsuit alleges that by writing on their labels that their filters “Reduce 3X contaminants,” Brita has falsely given consumers the impression that the filter removes “arsenic, chromium-6, nitrate and nitrites” and other chemicals, including PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals.” It does not mention misleading ...
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